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Cognitive-behavioural group therapy for sexual abused girls: description of an intervention model

The sexual abuse against children and adolescents is a violence form that can unchain cognitive, emotional, and behavioural dysfunctions that will need psychological intervention. The victim’ and families’ treatment are a challenge for the psychologists’ practice, due to the complexity of the phenomenon. The present study aims to describe a cognitive behavioral group therapy process developed for cases of sexual abuse. The techniques are based on previous experiences in a research that aimed at to evaluate the effectiveness of the model. Ten 9 to 13 year old girls, victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse participate in the study. The results pointed out to the contribution of the group therapy process to the restructuring of faiths, emotional reactions, and behavioral dysfunctions. The group represented a link in the girls’ social and emotional support network and improved their life quality.

sexual abuse; cognitive-behavior therapy; childhood; adolescence


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